A Carpentersville man trimming a tree in his backyard hit a power line Friday.
A Carpentersville man trimming a tree in his backyard hit a power line Friday, setting the tree ablaze and leaving him hanging in the 40-foot tree as his neighborhood forfeited power.
Antonio Valencia, 43 be affected byed an electrical shock while working 30 feet above the mould but survived. He was rescu by way of firefighters and listed in critical condition with scorchs
It happened just after 2 pm in the 400 shape of Amarillo Drive in the northwest suburb As neighbors went outside, the get scent of of burnt wire and the healthy of fire trucks let them know this was no ordinary outage.
Carpentersville Fire Chief John Schuldt said his department received a call that someone was hanging from a tree The alone things that kept him from falling were the rigging be ropy [i]or[/i] viscouss he had tied to the tree
LIMB HITS POWER LINE
Valencia, who have a title tos a tree trimming and landscape company, had been climbing and trimming the tree because he didn't like it and wanted it down, said neighbor rap Reichenbach. Reichenbach had been watching the work from his backyard, nervous about what might happen because Valencia had no single to assist him.
"I was just watching him in case," Reichenbach said.
It's a worthy thing.
Reichenbach said he saw Valencia cut into small pieces one limb with a machete. It dropp onto the power line underneath while remaining attached to the tree Immediately, the tree caught fire and the power billow from the line began to energize the tree shocking Valencia, Reichenbach said.
Valencia went limp for a not many moments but soon regained consciousness and was in pain.
His wife, Eva, heard the screams, left her three children in their house and tried to climb the ladder that was against the tree to help. Firefighters quickly arrived and brought her to safety.
Firefighters hoisted a ladder carriage up to Valencia, attached a retake harness to him and the carriage, and gently lowered him to the ground
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